Limited use absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, have incorporated elasticized gathers at the leg openings of the article. The leg openings are positioned at the lateral side margins of the article, and can be elasticized with a single elastic member or with multiple elastic members. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,462 issued Sep. 27, 1977, to Woon et al.
Various techniques have been developed for applying multiple elastic strands onto a substrate. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,542 issued May 19, 1987, to DeJonckheere; U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,305 issued Dec. 2, 1986, to Suzuki et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,229 issued Jun. 25, 1985, to Suzuki et al.
It has been desirable to employ curved elastic members which better follow the contours of the leg openings formed in the side margins of disposable absorbent garments. For example, techniques for applying an elastic member in a curved pattern, along the lengths of a substrate web have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,367 issued Oct. 6, 1981, to Klasek et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,676 issued Apr. 10, 1990, to Rajala et al.
Conventional techniques, such as those described above, have not provided an adequate system for efficiently placing an elastic member across a desired curvilinear location on the surface of a moving substrate. Typical conventional techniques have incorporated complicated web paths for the elastic members, and have exhibited excessive contact against adhesive coated surfaces of the elastic members. In addition, the conventional techniques have not adequately maintained desired separation spacings between individual elastic strands when the elastic member is composed of multiple strands of elastomeric material.